Ole Miss Baseball hosted the University of Iowa in Swayze Field for a three games series from March 1-3. After dropping game one to the Hawkeyes 13-7 on Friday, March 1, Ole Miss figured things out midway through game two and throughout the entirety of game three to pull off an unexpected series win versus a team who was preseason top 25.
After a less-than-desirable start to the season, with significant losses to the University of Hawaii, Arkansas State University and High Point University, Ole Miss needed this series win to build momentum for the season. They did just that with impressive showings in games two and three.
Ole Miss showed a lot of fight and seemed to figure out some answers to problem areas within their roster.
Game one: (lost 13-7)
Ole Miss kicked off its second home series of the season with an unfortunate loss against the Hawkeyes. The Rebels ended up dropping this game after a late push that tied things up heading into the ninth inning.
The Rebels took the lead at first with an RBI walk by infielder Andrew Fischer in the third inning. However, the Hawkeyes fired back in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring two and three runs respectively. The Rebels closed the gap a little in the fifth inning with a homerun from infielder Ethan Lege.
Iowa then responded to this with a two-run single in the seventh inning. While the Rebels were trailing 7-2, they found momentum in the bottom of the eighth inning to make things interesting.
Ole Miss walked several times in this inning, which led them to tie the game. While they hoped to keep that energy for the ninth inning, the Rebels struggled, allowing the Hawkeyes six runs to close out the game.
Sadly, the Rebels could not answer back to that run gap and fell short 13-7.
Game two: (won 12-5)
Saturday, March 2, was a bright and sunny day for the Rebels, and they responded well to game one’s loss.
Ole Miss did not have a good start to this one, trailing 5-1 after just three innings. Fortunately for Ole Miss, this would be the last time Iowa scored for the rest of the day.
The Rebels found their momentum as they took the lead, especially with the help of two homers from Fischer. Ole Miss played well defensively, too, as the Hawkeyes were unable to score for the rest of the game.
The Rebels rallied in the eighth inning, as they once again walked several times. This led Ole Miss to tie up the series with their 12-5 win.
Game three: (won 8-3)
The Rebels headed into the final game of the series on Sunday, March 3, knowing they needed to finish strong. With quality batting and pitching, they did just that.
Ole Miss scored first in the fourth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from infielder Bo Gatlin. A big run in the fifth inning put the Rebels up 5-0.
Ole Miss’ defense was strong, as they only allowed the Hawkeyes to score in the eighth inning. Right-handed pitcher Grayson Saunier pitched a stellar five innings, allowing no runs to score.
The Rebels claimed the game and series with an 8-3 victory.
Up next: Home game against the University of Memphis
Ole Miss will take on the University of Memphis Tigers on Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. CST. The game will be held at home in Swayze Field.
